Regional Assembly in Canada: Another Exploration of “Dilexit Nos”

Galilee Centre, Arnprior, Canada

This year’s jubilee Regional Assembly began on August 25 with the Dehonian Jubilee prayer and the singing of the Veni Creator. The members present shared events and experiences of the past year, in an atmosphere of mutual listening and fraternal spirit.

The actual work began the following day. In his opening address, Fr. Gustave Lulendo N’dotony, Regional Superior, thanked all those who contributed to the preparation of this assembly. He then outlined the state of the Region, highlighting the internationality, interculturality, and intergenerationality lived in the Region and its three communities. He also emphasized that this assembly was taking place in the context of the Congregation’s double jubilee.

Dilexit nos

The rest of the day was devoted to a reflection on Pope Francis’ fourth and final encyclical, Dilexit nos. With the help of Mr. Joe Gunn, a layman long engaged in social ministry, the participants reflected on the relevance of the encyclical’s message for the Dehonians’ ministry in Canada. This reflection led them to more practical considerations: how could the Canadian Region respond to the sufferings of the world in its present context?

News

In the following days, time was devoted, among other things, to a reflection on the programmatic letter written by the Regional Superior. The purpose was to propose concrete solutions to the challenges identified in that letter. In addition, Fr. Willyans Prado Raposo, General Councilor, shared some updates from the General Administration as well as information about the first major celebration of the Dehonian Jubilee held in Saint-Quentin and Brussels. Another focus of the work was the sharing of various reports on the activities of the Region’s different committees and commissions (Finance, Justice, Peace and Immigration, Vocations, Communication, and Theology), etc.

Regional Jubilarians

On Wednesday, participants took the end of the day to honor the jubilarians of the year:

• Fr. John van den Hengel (60 years of priesthood)
• Fr. Richard Woodbury (60 years of religious profession)
• Br. Dieudonné Tchouteu and Fr. Johannes Yuliwan Maslim (40 years of religious profession)

Finally, in his closing words, the Regional Superior thanked the confreres for their presence and active participation, Fr. Willyans for his much-appreciated presence, as well as the speaker and the interpreter who allowed everyone to express themselves in their own language, and all those who contributed, together with the staff of the Galilee Centre in Arnprior.